Michigan State University
9-2
Loyola Marymount
4-8
Wood, Foerster Help Spartans to 7-5 Win At LMU
2/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Box Score | PDF Box Score: MSU 7, LMU 5 
SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
Michigan State held off homestanding Loyola Marymount, 7-5, on Saturday afternoon for their second win of the series. The Spartans had a pair of triples and two home runs among their eight hits, and overcome three errors - their most in a game this season - and a late charge by the Lion offense to earn the victory. MSU improves to 9-2, wile LMU is now 4-7. The finale of the three-game series comes Sunday at 1 pm ET (10 am PT).
Celeste Wood went 2-for-4 at the plate with a two-run homer in the second inning, and also pitched a shutout seventh to earn her first save of the season. Lea Foerster went 2-for-2, scoring three runs and accounting for both a triple and a home run on the day.
Lindsey Matoi and Amanda Dirks each had two hits for the Lions, who had 10 hits on the day - but LMU stranded 13 runners as the Spartan pitchers bent but refused to break, giving up just two extra-base hits.
MSU scored three runs in the first and second innings, but relief pitcher Rachael Farrington certainly settled things down for the Lions, allowing only a solo home run to Lea Foerster in terms of scoring for the Spartans in her 5.2 innings of work.
Valerie Kaff started the game and went 1.2 innings before Jordan Watson came in for 4.1 innings, scattering four hits among the 20 batters she faced for the victory. Wood earned the save by pitching the final frame.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Jordan Watson earned her fourth win of the season, going 4.1 innings and allowing just one run, scattering four hits and striking out four.
- Lea Foerster had a triple and a solo homer, going 2-for-2 with a walk and a HBP.
- Ebonee Echols had a team-best three RBI with a first-inning triple.
- Celeste Wood went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI, and also picked up the save in the circle with a shutout seventh inning.
QUOTABLE:
"We continue to improve every day - but three errors is not going to put you in a position to win many ballgames. Fortunately, those errors today didn't impact us as negatively as they could have. I continue to be impressed by the way our pitchers are standing their ground - each of them today worked out of jams and showed a mental toughness that we're happy to see. We'll be looking for the same things tomorrow as we try to close out the series on a high note."
- Head Coach Jacquie Joseph
STATS AND STORYLINES
- Lea Foerster led off the game being hit by a pitch, and was moved to second on a sac bunt by McKenzie Long. Celeste Wood's long fly ball allowed Foerster to move to third. Kaitlyn Eveland and Sarah Gutknecht were issued back-to-back walks to load the bases, and Ebonee Echols promptly emptied them with a triple to right that gave MSU a 3-0 lead. MSU starter Valerie Kaff got out of the bottom of the inning by enticing a groundout with the bases loaded.
- The Spartans hit for the cycle in the top of the second, with Foerster's one-out triple putting her into scoring position. Long followed with a double to right center, and after Celeste Wood homered to give MSU the 6-0 lead, Eveland singled to left to complete the cycle, but she was left there after a pair of outs got LMU reliever Rachel Farrington out of the inning.
- The Lions got their first runs of the series in the bottom of the second inning. A leadoff double, followed by an MSU error, put leadoff hitter Tebou on third base. Kaff got back-to-back outs on a foulout and grounder to second, but the latter brought home Tebou for the first run for the Lions. Three straight singles plated another run, leaving the bases loaded. Kaff walked one in, signalling the end of her day; she was replaced by Watson, who walked the first batter she faced but then got Tebou, the leadoff batter in the inning, to strike out and end the frame, with MSU still holding a 6-4 lead.
- LMU threatened in the bottom of the third. After Farrington worked a 1-2-3 inning for the Lions in the top of the third, Lindsey Matoi singled to center to lead off the home half of the fourth. Taylor Lockwood reached on an error, but Caitlin Herman reached on a fielder's choice that eliminated Matoi. With two on and one out, Watson dealt to consecutive strikeouts to strand both runners and preserve the two-run MSU lead.
- Amanda Dirks led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo homer for the Lions, trimming the Spartan lead to 7-5. Watson rebounded with a ground-ball out, but Alicia Brown reached on an error to give LMU one on and one out. Watson got the next two outs, limiting the offense to one run.
- Celeste Wood came into the circle to pitch the 7th, and despite a walk, base hit, and fielder's choice, she stranded a pair of runners to earn her first save of the season.
- Lea Foerster had a triple, the 10th of her career, and a home run, the fourth of the season and 13th of her career. Her 10th triple ties her for 10th place in the Spartan career annals, and 13 home runs is just outside the all-time top 10 in that category. She improved her career total of extra-base hits to 56, which is ninth all-time in MSU history.
- Ebonee Echols' first-inning triple is her third of the season and 12th of her career. She now sits in a fourth-place tie in career triples with Tracy Baker (1984-87), Hall-of-Famer Patti Raduenz (1993-86) and Kara Weigle, (2006-09),
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Watson, Jordan (4-1)
L: WELLINS (0-2)
S: Wood, Celeste (1)
Batting:
2B: Long, McKenzie 1
3B: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Echols, Ebonee 1
HR: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Wood, Celeste 1
RBI: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Long, McKenzie 1 ; Wood, Celeste 2 ; Echols, Ebonee 3
SH: Long, McKenzie 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Foerster, Lea 3 ; Long, McKenzie 1 ; Wood, Celeste 1 ; Eveland, Kaitlyn 1 ; Gutknecht, Sarah 1
SB: Eveland, Kaitlyn 1
CS: Wood, Celeste 1
HBP: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Carrasco, Kelcey 1 ; Besson, Lindsey 1
Batting:
2B: TEBOU 1
HR: DIRKS 1
RBI: DIRKS 2 ; BROWN 1 ; MANLEY 1 ; LOCKWOOD 1
SH: LOCKWOOD 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HARMAN 1 ; SANCHEZ 1 ; DIRKS 2 ; TEBOU 1
SB: HARMAN 1
HBP: FINIE 1
